Movie review: 'Crazy Rich Asians' the party of the summer

By Al Alexander/For the Patriot Ledger

Tuesday

Aug 14, 2018 at 1:03 PMAug 19, 2018 at 10:29 AM

In Singapore, the term shiok is representative of a feeling of sheer happiness and pleasure. And I can’t think of a better description for “Crazy Rich Asians,” the funniest, most joyous movie of the summer. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry and you’ll hunger for homemade dumplings -- all while basking in the presence of a movie that throws out all the stops with a literal cast of thousands mingling amid budget-busting production designs that consistently make you go “wow!” Bollywood’s got nothing on this.

Derived from the first of Kevin Kwan’s trilogy of novels, “Crazy Rich Asians” begins with the most clichéd of stories: A smart, beautiful American experiences culture shock when she travels to a foreign country that demands you prove yourself before winning the respect of the persnickety natives. In this case, that would be Singapore, a little island nation where the social strata seems to run the gamut from rich, richer and richest.

It’s into this cauldron of snobbery the adorable Rachel Chu (breakout star Constance Wu from TV’s “Fresh Off the Boat”) is unwittingly thrust by her hunky boyfriend, Nick Young (steamy, often shirtless Henry Golding), who’s brought her to Singapore to meet his family and attend the wedding of his best friend, Colin (Chris Pang). And, as an added bonus, Singapore just happens to be the home of Rachel’s zany college friend, Peik Lin, played by the bon mot-slinging Awkwafina, the gifted comedian last seen rampantly stealing scenes from her larcenous co-stars in “Ocean’s Eight.”

Peik is also our de-facto tour guide, as she hilariously tutors Rachel on the ins and outs of Singapore’s high society, where every neon-lit flower, home and feast screams opulent and succulent. Poor us, we can only look on in frustration, as the screen keeps getting in the way of our need to dive right into the deep end of this unfettered lavishness. I won’t kid you; it’s torture, especially when it’s time for the centerpiece wedding, which for all the world looks like it was catered by Busby Berkeley.

The glitz is off the charts, but that’s only the frosting on a ten-tiered cake that ambitiously bakes in a bevy of ingredients, from racism to classism to heritage and legacies. But most of all, it’s about family, whether you hail from old-money wealth like Nick and his tiger mom, Eleanor (the great Michelle Yeoh from “Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon”), the nouveau riche like Perik and her crass father, Goh (a superb Dr. Ken Jeong from “The Hanover”), or the rich in character, like Rachel and her single but proud mother, Kerry (Kheng Hua Tan).

Money, for what it’s worth, is the great common denominator. Peik wants more of it, and Nick’s stunning elegant cousin, Astrid (Gemma Chan), wants none of it upon realizing how much her vast fortune intimidates her wuss of a husband. Then there’s Eleanor, the kind of passive-aggressive matriarch who just assumes every woman her son meets is a gold-digger that must be dispatched forthwith with help, ironically, from Nick’s passel of snarky past lovers.

Director Jon M. Chu deftly weaves the numerous story strands while still finding time to toss in the mandatory visits to the bachelor and bachelorette parties (a hedonistic blowout aboard a cargo ship for him and decadent island spa for her); a swank boutique for the elegant quest for “the dress” straight out of “Pretty Woman”; and to the palatial Young estate for the eventual showdown with the potential mother-in-law who thinks Maleficent an ideal role model. Yes, it’s a bit all over the place, but when it all comes together in a swoon-worthy finale, you’ll find it hard to fight the tears.

It’s truly a wonderful film, juiced by an impeccable all-Asian cast, an excellent soundtrack consisting entirely of Asian covers of Western hits topped by Coldplay's “Yellow” and Kina Grannis’ gorgeous, open-up-the-waterworks version of Elvis’ “Can’t Help Falling in Love.” The latter is sung during the sure-to-be-classic wedding scene which is mountain-high in glamour. It’s escapism at its best, and for this we have Chu to thank. Who knew the director behind many of those “Step Up” movies had this much talent? I know I didn’t, but the work of Chu, writers Peter Chiarelli and Adele Lim, director of photography Vanja Cernjul, production designer Nelson Coates and costumer Mary E. Vogt are the elements from which Oscar dreams are made.

So look for “Crazy Rich Asians” to factor heavily into the equation when nominations are announced in January. Yes, it’s that good. But it’s also a beautifully appointed middle finger to a Hollywood system that for too long has excluded Asians, especially actors, by relegating them to minor roles in mediocre movies. It’s sad to report that “Crazy Rich Asians” is the first American film since 1993’s “Joy Luck Club” to feature an all-Asian cast. I got a feeling, though, that next time the span will be much shorter, particularly if the demand grows -- and it will -- for Warner Bros. to film the other two installments in Kwan’s best-selling trilogy. And I, for one, can’t wait to see it and experience all the shiok it allows.